Should Haley, DeSantis Drop Out and Back Trump For President?

Stefanik Urges GOP Rivals to Rally Behind Trump for 2024

Representative Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) has made a bold call to fellow Republicans in the presidential race, urging them to concede and support former President Trump. Her appeal, made on the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), emphasizes the need for party unity to defeat President Biden in the 2024 election.

Stefanik’s statement follows Trump’s commanding victory in the Iowa caucuses, where he secured approximately 51% of the votes. His closest competitors, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, garnered 21% and 19% of the votes, respectively. In the wake of these results, biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson have already withdrawn from the race.

This call for consolidation goes beyond a recent suggestion from The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board, which proposed that DeSantis should step down to enhance Haley’s chances against Trump in a direct contest. The editorial highlighted DeSantis’s slim prospects for nomination, particularly in New Hampshire and South Carolina, and suggested his withdrawal could pave the way for a more competitive race against Trump.

Both Haley and DeSantis have positioned themselves as viable alternatives to Trump, often framing him as a leader whose time has passed. Haley, in particular, has shown promise in New Hampshire, trailing Trump by about 8 percentage points in the upcoming GOP primary, according to The Hill/Decision Desk HQ polling averages. Nationally, Haley and DeSantis are closely matched in polls but lag significantly behind Trump.

Stefanik’s call reflects a growing sentiment within the GOP to unify behind a single candidate, with the belief that this strategy is essential for a successful bid against President Biden in the upcoming presidential election.